Petrografía y geoquímica de traquibasaltos y traquiandesitas basálticas de las Vulcanitas Corona Chico y del Complejo Volcánico Barril Niyeu, noroeste de la Meseta de Somuncurá, provincia de Río Negro

Petrography and geochemistry of trachy-basalts and basaltic trachy-andesites of Vulcanitas Corona Chico unit and the Barril Niyeu Volcanic Complex from the northwestern Meseta de Somuncurá, Río Negro province. The petrographic and geochemical characteristics of exposed lava flows in the northwest sector of Meseta de Somuncurá, corresponding to the Vulcanitas Corona Chico unit and the basic facies of the Barril Niyeu Volcanic Complex (Quiñelaf Superunit), are presented in this contribution. Both, the Vulcanitas Corona Chico unit and the Barril Niyeu Complex, were attributed by several authors to the post-plateau volcanic event. Their dominant texture is aphyric seriate to microporphyric with olivine and plagioclase microphenocrysts in a groundmass of plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene, opaque minerals and apatite. Accordingly with their chemical features, these rocks classify as trachy-basalts and basaltic trachy-andesites of the sodic alkaline suite, with OIB-type geochemical signature and a relative positive anomaly in Ba. Based on field data, petrography and the first whole-rock geochemical data of the Vulcanitas Corona Chico presented in this contribution, it is proposed to expand the definition of this informal unit incorporating some of the lava flows from the northwestern part of Meseta de Somuncurá. Likewise, it is proposed to homogenize and simplify the nomenclature of the post-plateau units in the northwestern sector of the Meseta. Therefore, considering that the post-plateau event shows compositional variations, it is recommended to refer to the volcanic units using their formational or volcanic complex names, limiting the use of plateau and post-plateau only to indicate the temporality of these volcanic events.